LG 42SL9000 42in LED-backlit TV

Ultra thin and frameless too, apparently

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Review LG’s 42SL9000 is billed as a ‘frameless’ set, and indeed the pictures on the website seem to give the impression of the picture spilling out of the frame, in an immersive manner that’s somewhat reminiscent of Philips' Ambilight.

LG's 42SL9000: when is a frame not a frame?

So it’s a bit of a disappointment on taking it out of the box to discover that ‘frameless’ really just means that the front is a single piece of glass, and that there’s still a black border – about an inch wide – around the edge of the picture. Still, it certainly lives up to the billing when it comes to slim, being only around an inch deep. However, if you don’t use the desktop stand, with all the sockets on the rear it will certainly sit further from the wall than that.

The stand – which requires a few screws to put together – is about eight inches deep, but fairly unobtrusive. Also in the package are two remote controls – a full size, full featured one, with a stylish silver trim round the top edge, and a smaller one with just basic functions, for the more bewildered or less technically adept members of the household. The set has some buttons on the right hand edge for power, volume, channel and menu, should you lose both remotes.

As you'd expect at this price, it's a full 1080p set and the connectivity is pretty good, with four HDMI slots, three on the rear, and one available at the side. There are two Scart inputs too, plus component, and an audio in for use with a DVI adaptor, as well as a PC RGB input. There’s the usual Common Interface slot for pay channels – though that won’t get you very far in the UK – together with a USB socket accessible from the side.

An optical audio out is included too, and RF in for your aerial, together with Bluetooth, and that’s the lot. There’s no Ethernet, no satellite tuner, and of course the Freeview tuner is DVB-T only, so the set won’t pick up the new FreeviewHD broadcasts.

Cabling will inevitably interfere with attempts at flush wall-mounting

Setup is straightforward, with a wizard automatically tuning in analogue and digital stations, and the on-screen menus are very clear, and simple to use. A Quick Menu button on the remote lets you change many settings very easily, including aspect ratio, which has a ‘just scan’ option for digital sources. Those who use Freeview for radio broadcasts will appreciate the dedicated Radio/TV button on the remote.